You might think of stroke as an older person’s problem, but this type of brain injury can affect kids, too. In fact, each year, an estimated up to 5 out of every 100,000 kids have a stroke. Many of these are arterial ischemic strokes, which result from obstruction of blood flow by clots, narrowed or damaged arteries or both. Here, Dr. Laura Lehman, Outpatient Medical Director of the Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center at Boston Children’s Hospital, shares what parents need to know about one of the more common causes of stroke. …

Although he’s only a little over a year old, Nolan Morel is a bona fide charmer. Clad in a red shirt and navy blue suspenders, he flashes a happy grin at his mother, Rosalia; his physician, Dr. Laura Lehman; and the others in the room. “Look at those dimples!” someone coos, and he giggles in response. “I can’t believe how social he’s being,” laughs Rosalia. “He wasn’t always like this.”

In fact, Nolan’s first several days of life were anything but lighthearted. Just a few hours after his birth at a hospital north of Boston, he stopped breathing and had to be manually resuscitated and given oxygen. When these frightening episodes continued on and off for the next day, his physicians contacted the Critical Care Transport team from Boston Children’s Hospital. …

Most parents try to discourage their children from indulging in humor about bodily functions like burping. But for Daniel and Lori Hooley, a simple smirk in response to a belch was the sign they needed that their daughter, Cadagan, was going to be okay.

It was 2012 and 7-year-old Cadagan was asleep, tucked into bed for the night. Around 11 p.m., she suddenly awoke — but it wasn’t because of a nightmare or a late-night request for a glass of water. Instead, she seemed limp and couldn’t focus. Then she began throwing up. Born with an extremely rare genetic disorder called trisomy 12p, the little girl had already experienced her share of health challenges. But this was something different. …

In fall of 2014, I was a senior, excited about finishing high school in New Hampshire and heading off to college. But I could never have guessed what the year would bring. I was an avid lacrosse player and competing in my fifth game of a tournament when I started to notice I was having trouble seeing out of my left eye. Soon, my hand felt weird and I couldn’t grip the stick properly. As I sat on the sidelines, onlookers recommended I be taken to a local hospital. …